The use of nondestructive ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) testing to assess the hardened properties of pervious concrete (PC) mixtures is an emerging research area. Further, UPV has been successfully used to determine the effective flow resistivity (EFR) of asphalt concrete and cement concrete pavements. However, no research studies have focused on understanding PC characteristics using EFR. Thus, the major objectives of this study were to assess the suitability of UPV testing for characterizing PC mixtures and to quantify their EFR, which is a measure of the material’s characteristic impedance and is dependent on the mix variables along with porosity. Thirty-six control and sand-modified PC mixtures were prepared with four aggregate gradations, and three levels each of water-to-cement (w/c) and aggregate-to-cement (a/c) ratios. Test results indicated that EFR was significantly dependent on the mix variables, with aggregate gradation being the most influential factor (six and eight times higher than w/c and a/c ratios, respectively). Lower EFR or higher sound absorption capacity was reported for PC with higher porosities. The sand-modified PC mixtures had higher EFR (by 4%–12%) than the control PC, and consequently lower sound absorption capacity, attributed to the presence of mortar that densified the mixes. Further, good-to-excellent correlations were obtained for various PC properties with UPV and EFR, which underscored the potential of UPV in characterizing PC. The major contribution of this research was the development of a simple, fast, and cost-effective approach, which can be suitably adopted as a quality-control test to determine PC mixture properties.

Pervious concrete pavements (PCP) have been successfully constructed in low-to-medium volume roads attributed to their sustainability benefits. Several studies have investigated the hydrological performance of PCPs, but limited attention has been given to the structural and environmental aspects. Thus, the objective of this study was to monitor the structural, hydrological and environmental performance of two PCP parking lots built using in-situ and ready-mix methods. Structural distresses were classified based on the distress identification manual, while the infiltration tests were performed every three months for three years to quantify the clogging rate. Joints/edges formed the weakest zones, while inefficient maintenance caused 98% clogging within 18 months. Further, in-situ mixing was 17% cheaper and 0.74% carbon-intensive than ready-mix technology. Overall, this research is envisioned to pave way for the development of guidelines that classify distresses and severity levels specific to PCPs, which also cover adequate maintenance recommendations for field implementation.